The next day.Damian Von sat in his office. Former office. He'd been stripped of operational authority. Forced to step back. Replaced by interim committee.But he still had the title. Still had the office. Still had—Access to news.And the news was—Catastrophic.Carver family arrested. Murder conspiracy. Insurance fraud. Attempted murder.His in-laws. His wife's family. The people he'd helped fund. The people he'd married into for connections. For status. For—for legitimacy.All of them criminals. All of them facing prison. All of them destroying his reputation by association.Damian's hands were shaking. Coffee cup trembling.'This is impossible. This was buried. We made sure it was buried. Mark assured me Noam was dead. I paid for the—for the cleanup. For the arrangements. For making sure it stayed quiet.''And now—now it's everywhere. FBI. Media. Public outrage. Audio recordings.

She pulled out a laptop from behind a cushion. "I brought this. Just in case. For emergencies."Neo stared. "We agreed. No technology. No work. No—""I know. But I—I needed a backup plan. And I'm glad I did because—"She opened it. Turned the screen toward him.News sites. All of them. Same story.[CARVER FAMILY ARRESTED IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE CONSPIRACY][FBI CHARGES WEALTHY NYC FAMILY WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER, INSURANCE FRAUD][AUDIO EVIDENCE REVEALS SHOCKING PLOT TO KILL SON-IN-LAW FOR $5M]Neo's breath caught.'It happened. The evidence was delivered. The arrests were made. The Carvers are—they're done. Actually done.'He sat down. Hard. Read through the articles.Douglas arrested. Cassandra arrested. Mark under bed arrest. Alina questioned but released.All of it public. All of it exposed. All of it—Real."Neo?" Lyra's voice was soft. "You okay?"He d

Neo stared at her, the sudden, raw demand—his seed. The idea of giving her that final, ultimate piece of him, after two years of careful behavior, calculated withdrawal—it was overwhelming. He felt a profound wave of warmth, of deep, genuine joy and commitment wash over him. Tears stung his own eyes, not of sadness, but of utter, selfless devotion.He buried his face in her neck, holding her tight, and with a final, deep, powerful thrust, he surrendered completely, releasing his entire load deep inside her.He let out a ragged groan, collapsing against her, his body shaking violently in the grip of the profound, tearful climax.Lyra gasped, her body clenching around him, moaning she felt full, happy, utterly content.They remained entangled beneath the swirling water for several minutes, the powerful jets massaging their exhausted muscles. The warm water was now mixed with their heat and sweat.Lyra slowly shifted, pulling her head back t